Published: April 28, 2007 12:13 am      

Police find rental truck filled with rotting fish and other stinky contents in Ariz.

TUCSON, Ariz. — A putrid prank went awry when authorities found a rental truck filled with rotting fish, cow parts and pig organs and evacuated residents of a Tucson neighborhood, police said.

Four University of Arizona students had rented the truck and collected the smelly cargo intending to dump it on someone’s front lawn as a prank, said Sgt. Mark Robinson, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.

Neighbors disgusted by the foul odor emanating from the vehicle called police Thursday and officers found the truck packed with 10 city trash cans, Robinson said. They also found ammonia and bleach, which prompted authorities to evacuate a square block and call in a hazardous materials team.

After testing the air and finding oxygen levels were fine, police officers moved in and discovered the decomposing contents in the trash cans.

The four students returned to the scene during the police search and confessed to renting the truck and filling it up, Robinson said. The students were released after questioning, but may later face charges, including theft of the trash cans, criminal damage and disturbing the peace.